5th March 2005
by fezwearingjellybananas
Summary: Leopold Fitz once met a strange man who thought that plastic was alive. Fitz thought he was drunk.


Leopold Fitz, Fitz at work, Leo to his close friends (before SHIELD at least), Leopold to his mother when he'd set fire to something in the house again, was on holiday from SHIELD (stop telling him it was called vacation) in London. He was on route from the train station to meet Jemma Simmons at Heathrow airport to fly back to the States to resume work. It would have been easier to catch the plane back from Glasgow, but well, he wanted an excuse to get the train. Fitz had always loved trains. Trains were what got him into engineering.

So Fitz was outside, walking past the shop, between stations to get a breath of fresh air.

At that moment a window next to him smashed and a man in a black leather jacket appeared holding a strange contraption.

"You all right?"

"What? Yes. The plastic's alive."

"Okay."

"Stay inside."

"I don't live here. I'm meeting a friend and then we're flying back."

"To Scotland?"

"No, to the States."

"Why?"

"Because we work there. If it was Scotland I'd get the train. I did get the train. I was in Scotland."

"Are you old enough to be travelling on your own?

"I'm twenty, I'm defiantly old enough."

"That's an adult here."

"It is. I can buy alcohol and everything. Can't over there, but I can here."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, not really. You know what they say about American beer. Well, what Monty Python said."

"You think I'm drunk."

"Little bit."

"Humans. You're all the same. Completely oblivious."

"Okay. I'm going to miss the train and then I'll miss the flight and then I will be in trouble. Good luck with your living plastic."

Fitz walked very quickly out the way.

He was very glad he had left when it appeared on the news later that the shop had exploded.

However he was more surprised than relieved when also on the news appeared that London had had an invasion of shop mannequins. Maybe the man hadn't been drunk then.

* * *

Fitz hadn't been comfortable with this. He was flattered, SHIELD saying he was one of their top engineers, but was he really the right person for this? At least he had Simmons with him. It must just be because everyone else seemed busy with something up on the Helicarrier and somewhere else. He didn't know. They hadn't told him. Above his Level.

Still, he didn't particularly like this Adam fellow. There was just something about him. And his boss, Van Statten, was even worse. He kept calling Fitz English.

He was incredibly glad when the order came through for everything to be handed over to SHIELD. Finally. He'd be able to one up the both of them.

He hadn't banked on the man showing up again.

"Scottish boy."

"Not drunk man. Sorry about that. You were right."

"Yes. I was."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"You look different."

"It's been seven years."

"Course it has. What are you doing here?"

"Er, I'm probably not supposed to say. Work stuff."

"Aliens. Secret. UNIT? No, American. American agency that employs Brits. SHIELD."

"Oh. You know it."

"We've met. Not yet. But we will."

"That's a Police Box. That wasn't here earlier."

"The Doctor."

"What?"

"The Doctor. That's me. I'm the Doctor. Look me up."

"Leo Fitz."

"Leopold Fitz?"

"Leo."

"You'll go far, Leo Fitz. I can tell. Just make sure you get out of here in a few seconds."

"SHIELD are collecting everything tomorrow. I was just delivering the order."

"You might not have to worry about that."

"I do, I have to categorise everything. Least I've got Simmons helping. Speak of the devil."

"Ready, Fitz?"

"Just coming, Simmons. This is the Doctor. He's the guy I told you about seven years ago, the one who knew about the plastic."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. Fitz, they're waiting."

"Guess I'll see you around, Doctor. Maybe in another seven years."

"Doctors FitzSimmons."

Fitz and Simmons left, heading back to Sci-Ops.

* * *

Turns out they didn't get the stuff from Van Statten. Something happened and the whole place got filled in with cement by someone else.

Fitz looked up the Doctor instead. There wasn't much, but there were mentions of him all over the place. Different faces, but after looking at files from UNIT (possibly obtained through hacking) they discovered that he changed his face. An alien from Gallifrey, who travelled through time and space.

Awesome.

* * *

The next, and the last time, Fitz saw the Doctor he was in Greenwich.

"Leo."

"Doctor."

"I seem to have run into you quite a few times."

"I work with aliens. Only natural I would run into one."

"You worked it out."

"UNIT had some files. We borrowed them."

"I like you, Leo Fitz."

"I like you too, Doctor."

"What do you say to time and space?"

"If you'd asked me a few months ago, I would have leapt at the chance."

"But?"

Fitz looked at Skye, May, Coulson, Ward and Simmons.

Simmons.

"I think there's enough adventure in my life with this lot."

"All right." The Doctor waited. "You know, you're the first person who hasn't asked about seeing the Earth from space or going to the Moon?"

"I'm an engineer. I'd rather build the rocket and either fly someone there or fly my own rocket. As I've been reminded several times on this plane, I am a rocket scientist." The Doctor nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. There is one thing I want to show you though." He opened the door to the police box. "Welcome to the TARDIS."

"She's incredible. And bigger on the inside. Another dimension?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"Sure you aren't coming."

"Yes. I have a job to do and friends to look after."

"Well then. Good luck, Leo Fitz."

"Good luck, Doctor."

They shook hands and Fitz watched as the TARDIS disappeared. He went back over to his team.

"You all right there, Fitz?" Skye asked.

"I'm fine. Saw an old friend."

"Do you know what any of this is?" Ward asked.

"Nope. But I intend to find out. Come on, Simmons. We have science to do."


End file.
